A busy evening last night. First to the Fine Art Society to see the Robert Bowman Gallery's exhibition of Sir Alfred Gilbert sculpture. The object that created the most interest and excitement was a casting of Eros which of course has been seen by the whole world in Piccadilly Circus. Up close it's massive, and I confess left me rather cold. But there's a feast of other nuggets dotted around the gallery should you be a lover of sculpture.
I then went on to see The Vortex with my theatre club which is in its final week at the Apollo Theatre. This was Noel Coward's first play, and you are left in no doubt that it was a work in progress. A three act play with two intervals now seems rather old fashioned, but that was the norm in the 1920s. I've been doing a lot of research on that decade for my new book, and it's interesting that at the time the actors took curtain calls at the end of each act rather than just at the end of the play. Felicity Kendall sparkles in her performance as Florence Lancaster but she is equalled by Dan Stevens who plays her son and has a magnificent range from wet in the first act, to utterly pathetic in the second, to tragically moving in the third. This was the part that was played by Noel Coward in the original production and I have no doubt that the master would have hailed the young man's efforts.
The play was produced by Bill Kenwright who deserves the soubriquet Mr Theatre; a man who has put on hundreds of shows, employed thousands of actors and entertained millions of people. I can think of no other person who has done more for British theatre in my lifetime and surely it cannot be too long before he becomes Sir Bill. He's mad of course, but then he is Chairman of Everton Football Club. I remember some years ago attending one of his productions in Richmond with him and he left halfway through the first act. We met up again in the interval. "Buying a new player," he explained, "I'll tell you about it over dinner." That's another thing you need to know about Bill, he's generous to a fault and it's very difficult ever to repay him for his kindness.
I then went on to see The Vortex with my theatre club which is in its final week at the Apollo Theatre. This was Noel Coward's first play, and you are left in no doubt that it was a work in progress. A three act play with two intervals now seems rather old fashioned, but that was the norm in the 1920s. I've been doing a lot of research on that decade for my new book, and it's interesting that at the time the actors took curtain calls at the end of each act rather than just at the end of the play. Felicity Kendall sparkles in her performance as Florence Lancaster but she is equalled by Dan Stevens who plays her son and has a magnificent range from wet in the first act, to utterly pathetic in the second, to tragically moving in the third. This was the part that was played by Noel Coward in the original production and I have no doubt that the master would have hailed the young man's efforts.
The play was produced by Bill Kenwright who deserves the soubriquet Mr Theatre; a man who has put on hundreds of shows, employed thousands of actors and entertained millions of people. I can think of no other person who has done more for British theatre in my lifetime and surely it cannot be too long before he becomes Sir Bill. He's mad of course, but then he is Chairman of Everton Football Club. I remember some years ago attending one of his productions in Richmond with him and he left halfway through the first act. We met up again in the interval. "Buying a new player," he explained, "I'll tell you about it over dinner." That's another thing you need to know about Bill, he's generous to a fault and it's very difficult ever to repay him for his kindness.
2 Comments:
Dear Mr.Jeffrey,
I am glad to know that you are a lover of sculpture. If so, why you have not visited the famous Indian temples ? You would have been simply bowled over by the majestic beauty of the sculptures at the temples of South India. Please do visit those temples atleast hereafter. (ravi815@hotmail.com)
RAVI
Sir,
I was one of the hundreds in the Bangalore crowd, who now has the cherished 'Signed' copy of Prisoner of birth. First, thanks for that.
I was surpirsed to know from a friend that you do blog. Well after my attendance at the Landmark, Bangalore - I did write about it in my blog.
www.rjayanthan.wordpress.com
Waiting eagerly for your next visit to India (bangalore).
~jayanthan ravi
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